Maseru
Ha-Ts’osane residents in Maseru are facing significant challenges due to adverse health and environmental conditions. These issues stem from both the presence of a dumping site within the area and the ongoing, protracted efforts to remove it.
The community’s well-being is said to be compromised as the hazardous waste continues to impact their living conditions, despite attempts to address the problem. The prolonged removal process exacerbates the situation, leaving the residents in a state of uncertainty and distress.
The dumping site, which has been in existence for over three decades, has created intolerable living conditions for the residents. The community members report that their homes have become breeding grounds for harmful pests, including cockroaches, rats and ants.
They claim these adverse conditions have significantly impacted their quality of life, as they struggle to cope with the health and environmental hazards posed by the proximity of the dumping site. The residents’ plight underscores the urgent need for comprehensive waste management solutions to mitigate these ongoing issues.
They emphasized that despite their efforts to maintain a hygienic environment, the waste-cluttered area undermines these attempts. Consequently, they feel highly exposed to atmospheric pollutants, increasing their vulnerability to lung diseases such as tuberculosis, asthma and pneumonia.
On April 29, a Parliamentary Natural Resources Portfolio Cluster Committee and Law and Public Safety Cluster held a meeting with officials from pertinent Ministries namely the Ministry of Forestry and Environment and Local Government, Home Affairs and Police to solve grievances tabled by the Ts’osane residents.
This was after the fed-up residents petitioned to the Committee demanding the immediate closure and relocation of the site after years of patience have been futile. In the meeting, it was disclosed by the Ministry of Environment that the dumpsite should never have existed in the first place.
The Ministry claimed the site was no longer eligible to serve its purpose after the Waste Management Act 2008 was passed with strict measures against illegal dumping, however, the site continued to operate.
The meeting was adjourned to give adequate time for the two relevant Ministries to cement an agreement on when and how the issues of the Ts’osane community will be addressed.
Just yesterday (Wednesday), representatives of the community returned from the Parliament more aggravated after they were denied access to a meeting for the two Ministries to discuss a way forward.
They were denied entry by the Clerk of the Law and Public Safety Cluster Committee, Relebohile Mariti who cited that according to Section 90 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly of Lesotho, residents were not allowed to be part of the meeting because talks are still at an early stage.
This angered the representatives who are now beginning to suspect that this are the early tactics that prove that their efforts to shut and to call for the relocation of the dumpsite are now being thwarted.
Speaking to the Weekly Observer on the same day, one representative of the community, Mangaliso Cindi expressed dissatisfaction on this, arguing that just like it was stated on the weekly schedule that the meeting was an open one, they as victims should be allowed.
“Honestly speaking we were not invited but when an issue is said to be an open one, it means anyone and everyone who is a stakeholder can join. Now that it us who are the victims, we were not anticipating to denied this way. This is ridiculous when we walked in, we were told that the ministry has requested to be given until June 6 to come up, with a plan.”
She said despite this, they will not back down but this is a wake-up call for them to go back to the community members to strategize on a new way that would compel the government to do its part.
One other representee, Khoabene Chele also told this publication that, the Government and all the relevant stakeholders are downplaying the crisis because it dose not directly affect them. He said they (government officials) are struggling to fathom the urgency of this matter.
“This side-lining does not solve any of our problems, officials are not doing us any justice at all. This was our petition and they kept setting dates which they never honoured. Its been five weeks now ever since our first meeting but no solution no solution has been reached.
When we make an initiative to come and play our part in our issues, we are told to return because we were uninvited, this shows that they do not take us serious while our living conditions continue to get unbearable,” he said.
For her part, Clerk of the Law and Public Safety Cluster, Relebohile Mariti assured to the Weekly Observer yesterday that the dismissal of residents was misunderstood and it was not on bad intentions.
She said they were not invited because negotiations between the ministries were still at an early undecided stage and are yet to be finalised.
“In our last meeting together, they were told that they will be informed when they will be invited back to the discussions. All the meetings which are currently taking place between the two ministries and the Maseru City Council (MCC) were now closed. The meeting has been postponed yet again because all the three parties are yet to reach a decision,” she said.
Maraiti stated that, the residents were misled by the status of the meeting which was considered to be open, she assured that once the three stakeholders are ready to share the final decision, they will be summoned.
“We will call them to come and get the final report. We are in no position to issue the report yet and it will be shared once it has been tabled before the National Assembly.
They just showed up maybe because they saw the schedule circulating on social media but truthfully speaking it is still early for them to come.”
